Some Vampire Candy Land
by MaskedScissorDoll
Summary: Fionna catches Marshall Lee and the Ice Queen playing a board game.


Marshall Lee was floating above the game board, watching the Ice Queen take her turn. She shook the dice in their barrel with her hand over the entrance. The dice clinked against each other inside. She opened her hand and the dice rambled across the colorful spaces on the board. "10!" she read, excitedly. She hopped her white Jiangshi shaped plastic token 10 spaces, and then frowned. "Coffins! I have to skip my next turn. Glob, I hate this game," the Ice Queen whined.

"You're doing better than me, I landed on holy molasses last turn and had to respawn," said Marshall. He didn't bother with the barrel and instead gathered the dice with one hand and flung them back down on the board. "Seven," he said as he hopped his black Jaingshi shaped token seven spaces, and then, "Oh, cool, looks like I ate some candy kids. I get to move forward an extra space." He hopped his token forward and then rolled again.

"Oh well, at least the board art is kind of cool. See, here's the Cotton Candy Prince. Kind of looks like Prince Gumball," said the Ice Queen.

"You are lumping obsessed," said Marshall Lee, moving his piece forward. "Snakes. Well, there's a bunch of progress lost."  
"I'm not obsessed, I'm in love," the Ice Queen said.

Marshall laughed, "How many times is that, in a thousand years?"

"Not like you're a role model," she said, "And anyway, I'm not a thousand years old."

He rolled over in the air, handing her the dice. "Oh yeah?" he asked, "How old are you, then?"

"Not as old as you are, old man," she said, "and anyway, it's not polite to ask a lady."

"Oh, Simone," he said, "If only you knew yourself a little better."  
She looked at him blankly, and then she rolled the dice. "Eight. Oh, sweet!" She moved her piece forward, "I missed the chocolate river and landed on bats, that means I can go forward a whole row!"

Marshall watched her move her piece, and then he heard a footstep in the snow outside. He turned, and he could see Fionna watching them through the window. He raised an eyebrow. "Huh, what's Fionna doing here?"

"Eh, she's been spying on us for a while," the Ice Queen said, flippantly. "I didn't want to say anything about it, but isn't that kind of creepy? I mean, I know you like her, but, Glob."

"Shut up, Simone!" Marshall didn't know if Fionna could hear them.  
He flew over and opened the window. The chill outside didn't bother him, he was dead, and anyway it was always cold when Simone was around, indoors or out. She was the Ice Queen, if he wasn't use to it by now they wouldn't be friends. Fionna was standing there in her usual outfit. A skirt, a t-shirt, her bunny hat. But she'd added some tall boots and some short gloves. She'd planned for this outing, but not so well as to have worn a coat. He wondered what was up with Fionna today. She didn't seem ashamed of her spying exercise. She didn't run away or try to hide when he caught her at it anyway.

"Fionna?" he asked, "Um, I don't want to be rude, but what are you doing, exactly?"

Fionna made a face. "This is the villain's house. And I'm a hero, so, I don't know, I was checking to see if there's some bad business going down or something. Looks like you guys are playing 'Vampires and Candy People,' though."

"Yeah," Marshall said, jesturing to the Ice Queen, who was surreptitiously taking an extra turn. She waved, unconcerned with Fionna. "Do you want to play?"

"I," she floundered, "I wouldn't want to impose."

The Ice Queen guffawed. "You can't impose, it's not like you'd win anyway. I've about got this baby wrapped up, all I need is to roll more than six for two more turns or roll double sixes next turn, and I'll drink the Cotton Candy Prince's pink. End game."

"Oh, yeah?" Fionna said, cllimbing through the window. "I have to play then," she said, "I can't let you drink the Cotton Candy Prince."

Marshall Lee looked at the Ice Queen from over Fionna's shoulder, but the Ice Queen didn't indicate any deep thoughts on Fionna's statement. "Let's see you do better!" the Ice Queen said.

Fionna selected the blue vampire and rolled the dice in the barrel.

"Twelve," she hopped her piece twelve spaces. "Drink the chocolate kung fu master, move forward two rows."

"Are you lumping serious?" The Ice Queen exclaimed, "What kind of luck is that?"

Fionna's piece was behind Marshall Lee's now.  
Marshall rolled. "Six. Captured by enemy vampires?" he said incredulously, "Loose a turn?"

The Ice Queen snatched the dice and threw them down. "Cavities? My lumping Glob, this is not for real," she said, "Did you curse the gameboard?"

"Not since last time we played," Marshall said, "Maybe the board just likes Fionna." He winked at her, and she blushed.

The Ice Queen muttered to herself and she moved her piece back to the dentist square.

Marshall Lee whispered to Fionna, "She has to roll doubles to get out of there." He handed Fionna the dice. "You may have this game sewn up, if you can beat me."

Fionna smiled at him, and even though the game was purely of chance, he was sure she would. At the end of the game, Fionna's piece rested in the Cotton Candy Kingdom. "Yay! I've saved the Cotton Candy Prince."

"Nah," said Marshall, "You're a vampire you have to eat him!"

She giggled, "I can be a good vampire."

"There's no such thing as a good vampire, Fionna, you have to drink his pink!" he chided, laughing.

"I'm going to be a vampire hero," she said.

He leaned in, close to her ear, "I could arrange the vampire part," he whispered, "but if you were a vampire you couldn't be a hero."

She swatted him away, "Don't be weird, Marshall," she said, "Vampires can be good. You're a good vampire, and I'm a hero. So, I don't have to drink the candy prince. You don't drink Prince Gumball."

"He's your friend," said Marshall Lee. "I can't drink your friends, then you wouldn't hang out with me anymore. And anyway, he'd taste gross. I can tell just by listening to his pompous voice."

Fionna laughed, and then she smiled at him in that way he really, really liked.

"I'm not a good vampire, Fionna," said Marshall. "I don't know why you don't believe me when I always tell you the truth. There's no such thing as good vampires, there are only bad vampires."

"Whatever, Marshall," she was still smiling, but then he noticed she was shuddering. Was she scared? He backed away, and then he realized she wasn't scared, she was cold.

"Glob, Fionna, you need to get home. Where's Cake?"

"She's down the mountain a little bit, I left her as a lookout," she said, rubbing her arms.

"Let me take you to her," said Marshall Lee, taking her hand. She let him pull her up, and then wrapped her arms around his neck as he glided through the window. "Later, Simone!"

"Whatever, Marshall Lee!" the Ice Queen said, dismissing him as she packed her game back in its box. She was still miffed about losing to Fionna.

A little down the mountain, Fionna asked him, "Why do you hang out with the Ice Queen?"

"Why?" he rebutted, "Are you jealous?"

"No!" she said, blushing, "I'm just curious."

He shook his head and tisked. "If you really want to know," Marshall said, "I've known her a really long time. Like, way long. A thousand years ago long."

"Wow," she said, "So, you knew the Ice Queen before the war." Fionna said.

Marshall looked for Cake's silhouette in the snow. "Yeah, I knew her before I was a vampire. Crazy, huh?"

"What was she like," Fionna asked, "Before the war?"

"I don't know how much she wants you to know," Marshall said, "But she was very kind. And heroic. And wise."

"You really like her then," Fionna said.

"Yeah," Marshall Lee said, honestly. "I do. But not like I like- I mean, not like I would like a girlfriend. More like an older sister or an aunt or something."

"I thought vampires didn't have friends," Fionna said, "You're not so tough."

"Alright, alright," Marshall said, "Maybe there's some humanity left in me, if you're going to go digging around for it. But don't tell anybody. And I'm definitely still evil, just so we're clear."

"Ouh, scary evil vampire and his weird aunt," Fionna said, as Cake came into view.

Marceline read it again. This one was a lot better than the last one. "Still pretty bad, Simon," she said, "But this one is way better."  
"So," the Ice King said, "You like this one?"  
"Like it?" asked Marceline. She paused and skimmed it again. She loved it. She felt like she was almost getting through to the real Simon somehow. It was insane. It was like he could only remember himself if he thought of himself as a fictional character. "Make the next one even better."


End file.
